Ludus and Vines
by Ruby Tyra
Summary: Marvel Soulmates AU Series Part 1. AU where, if you have a soulmate, you feel a part of their pain, sadness, and joy. Shuri had been fine with that at first; she could handle a little discomfort. However, as she began to realize her soulmate was more danger-prone than most, she pitied them. Peter didn't actually think he had a soulmate. Were they both in for a surprise. ShurixPeter


_With Infinity War coming out soon along with my love for soulmate AUs, I was inspired to come up with a few short stories of different soulmate pairings in the MCU._

 _I found prompts for the soulmate AUs on Pinterest (from different sources originally) and based the stories on those prompts._

 _I hope you enjoy the fluff!_

* * *

Shuri pitied her soulmate, she really did.

That pity began when she turned 13 years old, the normal age at which people usually find out if they have a soulmate or not. Shuri began to feel brief bouts of pain around her body on several different occasions. It was never overly bad but it told Shuri that someone was hurting her soulmate on a regular basis.

"Bullied" was the word her father had used, a new concept for Shuri who didn't believe such a thing existed in Wakanda.

It only clicked later that her soulmate possibly wasn't _from_ Wakanda. It was a better option than her soulmate being from the Jabari tribe…

However, no matter how she saw it, the idea had been a hard pill to swallow for a young girl who dreamt since she was little of having and meeting her soulmate. If her soulmate was indeed from the Outside, she would need to decide what to do with that knowledge. There had been a handful of Wakandans whose soulmates were not from their country and many of them preferred to live out their lives in Wakanda than to become spies beyond the border in order to find their soulmate.

And Shuri knew she wasn't spy material.

Besides, if she left, where would she be able to continue designing her amazing tech?

No, Shuri convinced herself she'd be fine, totally fine without her soulmate. Totally, completely… fine.

If her soulmate would get a damn normal life!

She was 15 when it all started to go downhill. Thinking back, Shuri determined that a sharp sting on her hand was where it all started. She cursed out her soulmate at that time, almost having her drop her nearly completed project. If it had hit the floor, that would have been weeks of work out the window.

She learned since then to accident proof all of her projects.

She couldn't lie and say it was _bad_ though… Yes, she still felt bumped around from time to time but she also had bouts of happiness that she could only associate with her soulmate's happiness. What they were feeling seemed to make the joy she felt when completing a project menial in comparison!

However, it didn't seem like it was all fun and games for Shuri's soulmate.

Two weeks after the sting in her hand, T'Challa found his sister curled up upon herself behind one of her work stations, rocking back and forth, as tears streamed down her face.

"Shuri! What happened?" asked T'Challa, kneeling in front of her. "Shuri…"

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she hiccupped, trying to formulate something to make her brother understand. "No… Not… It's…" She tried to form a sentence as she wiped away her tears. "Soulmate."

Understanding dawned on T'Challa and he sat next to Shuri, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.

And she cried. She cried until her soulmate stopped as well but the lingering sense of sadness and guilt stayed with her for weeks.

The months that followed didn't get any better…

She had thought it was bad when her soulmate was getting bullied but now, she worried about them even more. Any time she felt the remnants of something like a punch to her chest, numbness in her limbs, throbbing in her head, she thought her soulmate was going through hell.

If she still felt some pain from what they were experiencing, she couldn't even begin to comprehend what they were feeling.

She had managed to hide the effects from her family and from Okoye and Nakia for several months until one faithful day when the entire royal family was gathered in the throne room along with the heads of the tribes.

Her soulmate had picked a horrible time to get into _another_ fight and it left Shuri wincing in pain on several occasions, enough for everyone present to notice. Her family and especially T'Challa were not happy with the situation and even less so with her soulmate. Her brother looked ready to hunt the person down personally and… She actually didn't want to know what he would do.

She pitied her soulmate even more.

* * *

Peter didn't think he had a soulmate for years. It was possible for him to not have one and he figured he was a part of that percentage of the population.

He wasn't complaining. Not having a soulmate meant they didn't have to go through what he did concerning bullies and, more recently, his escapades as Spider-Man.

He would hate to put someone through all that.

That was why he felt immense guilt when he realized he DID have a soulmate.

After the bombing at the UN, Peter was hit with a tidal wave of sadness. So much so that Aunt May forced him to stay home from school that day.

He spent hours lying in bed, trying to stop himself from crying, to keep himself from remembering how much that pain resembled the one he felt when he lost Uncle Ben. However, his next thoughts weren't any better.

He had a soulmate.

He's been injured several dozen times in the last few months, as in actual injuries not just bruises and he put his soulmate through that pain as well.

He felt sick…

"But I can't stop being Spider-Man," he whispered out loud to himself. "I can't. New York needs me…" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, Souly, I can't stop. I'll try to be more careful but I won't stop."

* * *

T'Challa still wasn't happy with his sister's soulmate. He could not understand how someone could systematically get hurt over and over again. Were they in a gang? Were they being held captive?

He had never heard of someone suffering so much because of their soulmate.

He almost felt pity for Shuri's soulmate. Almost.

Though that pity flew out the window the day he found his sister kneeling on the floor, trying to take a deep breath. The way she had described it, it felt like her chest was being compressed, that her body was becoming tight.

As if her soulmate was being crushed.

T'Challa needed to remind himself that there was a completely logical, rational and in no way illegal reason behind Shuri's soulmate's injuries but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep that mentality.

* * *

"T'Challa, you are being unreasonable!" Shuri stood in her brother's way, arms crossed. "You said it yourself that Stark offered an open invitation! I want to see what that man has designed no matter how they could rank against my inventions!"

T'Challa stared at his sister, trying to find the strength to convince her to stay in Wakanda this time. However, he knew deep down he did not want to waste his strength on the matter and that she wouldn't listen to him anyway. He had hoped for a quieter visit to the Avengers' Compound but that did not seem to be happening…

"Okoye is going as well! I'll – We'll be perfectly fine!" insisted Shuri.

"Fine. Go pack. We're leaving in 30 minutes," sighed T'Challa.

Shuri beamed. "Already done! See you in the hangar!"

T'Challa watched his sister run off, her smile bright and an almost skip to her step.

"You made that more complicated than needed," remarked Nakia, stepping out of the shadows of a doorway. "You know no matter where she goes, you cannot protect her from her soulmate."

T'Challa glanced towards Nakia, unsurprised that she had figured out one of the reasons he was hesitant in letting his younger sister leave the safety of Wakanda. However, he wasn't about to tell her that. "I just didn't want her to be disappointed seeing the tech from the Outside." Nakia playfully slapped T'Challa's arm, feeling the slightest of echoes on her own arm. He smiled at her, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "I know I can't," he finally said. "I still want to try."

"Of course you do, meddling brother that you are."

* * *

The visit of the Avengers' Compound had been… amusing for Shuri. She could tell it had been built with the best tech the Outside had to offer.

It was amusing because she had Wakanda outfitted with tech years ahead of anything in that compound.

She felt damn proud about that fact.

Tony Stark was explaining to her a new feature for his suit and all Shuri could think about was about ten different ways to improve the suit even more. She was about to share that information when her leg suddenly buckled and she felt a sting run across her upper thigh. She grimaced, her hand flying to her leg and massaged it, trying to get the pain to less. She knew by then it was useless but she preferred that than doing absolutely nothing.

"Are you alright, Princess?" wondered Tony, putting down the arm of the suit and staring at her in worry.

"Shuri!" T'Challa was by her side in an instant and was already looking her over.

"I'm fine," she insisted, taking a step back and leaning against the work desk. "Perfectly fine. I'm not the one who's hurt. _Again_."

T'Challa breathed deeply, massaging his face in exasperation. Yes, he was getting very tired with Shuri's soulmate.

"Soulmate problems?" wondered Tony to which Shuri shrugged a nod. "Know who it is?"

She shook her head. "No, but we figured they are not from Wakanda."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "How did you figure?"

"They were bullied. We do not believe in that in Wakanda," explained Shuri.

Tony whistled, impressed. If only that were the case everywhere else in the world... It would have been a handy mentality for his intern. Peter had never told Tony about the bullying but Tony was resourceful and _had_ the resources to look pretty much anything up. He had sadly found out that Peter had been bullied, physically in the past and it was still a reoccurring verbal bullying that was still happening now.

He had half a mind to have a talk with those bullies but he knew that would not go over well with Peter.

As if speaking of the devil, Tony's phone went off, the ring tone telling him right away who exactly was calling. Tony pulled out his cell from his back pocket, double checking the caller ID before turning towards the royal siblings. "If you'll give me a moment. Duty calls."

T'Challa nodded and Tony walked away from the duo before answering. "Parker, running late as per usual I imagine?"

Tony heard a nervous chuckle on the other end of the line. Peter knew very well he was late often enough for his meetings with Tony at the Compound. He couldn't help it! New York needed Spider-Man and he wasn't going to let innocent people get hurt just so he wouldn't be late!

This time, however, it was a slightly different story. "Not necessarily late, Mr. Stark. I won't be able to come in today."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Homework." Tony rolled his eyes at that excuse. He knew Peter could sometimes get behind on homework because of his patrols as Spider-Man but that had never stopped him from visiting previously.

It was, however, a known excuse for something else. "You got hurt again, didn't you?" Saying those words out loud made Tony paused. They sounded familiar…

"No, no! Of course, not! I'm fine! I've just got homework and a test coming up. Aunt May also –"

"If I call your Aunt right now, will she have a different story?" Tony knew he was cornering Peter and couldn't help but smirk.

"I… Well…"

Tony decided to pull out the big guns then. "Karen, what happened?"

"Karen, don't –"

"A bullet grazed his leg, Mr. Stark," replied Karen matter-of-factly and Tony rolled his eyes. He knew it. The kid got hurt again…

Again… Tony frowned. That did indeed sound familiar. The whole situation sounded familiar.

"Karen…," sighed Peter. "It's nothing, really, Mr. Stark. As Karen said, it just grazed my leg!"

Tony glanced back towards the royal siblings, eyeing the Princess. She had been the one to say the word "again". She was hurt on the leg. "Which leg, Karen?" asked Tony, cutting off Peter's rambling.

"Right one," replied Karen immediately and Tony didn't believe the luck. He'd need to see if his suspicions were correct.

"Kid, I still need you to come in," said Tony.

"Mr. Stark, it's fine! I'll just –"

"No, no. You need to come in, believe me."

"Mr. –"

Tony sometimes found Peter much too stubborn for his own good. "You're here ASAP or I'll tell your Aunt about the wound."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Peter finally said, "Fine. 15 minutes."

* * *

It didn't take long after Peter arrived at the Avengers' Compound to get him patched up. Both him and Karen had been right in saying it was just a graze but Tony still didn't like it.

Someone was _shooting_ at Peter. Tony still didn't like the idea of Peter putting himself in the line of fire… Perhaps if the two teens were actually soulmates, maybe – just maybe – Peter would be more careful.

"Now head to the lab, Peter. I have guests I need to entertain," explained Tony, motioning towards one of the labs.

Peter just stared at the man, unable to understand what just happened. "But – but you said I needed to come here ASAP! Wha…?"

Tony just shooed Peter away and, with one last confused look towards the man, the teenager sighed and slunk towards the lab. Peter just couldn't understand what was going through Tony's mind. Honestly, he didn't understand most of the time anyway.

Maybe it had just been a ploy to get Peter to the compound to tend to his leg…

Peter entered the lab and glanced around. Since he was there, he might as well could continue to work on improving the webbing he used with his Spider-Man outfit.

He was only a couple of minutes into his project when Shuri entered the lab. Peter looked up and froze upon seeing her. He found her beyond pretty and he already felt his face heat up. He had not been hit so hard since he had seen Liz.

"Oh, hello," called out Shuri with a smile. She made her way towards Peter, glancing at the schematics he had pulled up with the help of FRIDAY. "What are you making?"

Peter opened his mouth, trying to formulate a response. "Well… You see…"

Shuri continued to study the schematics, a smile spreading. "Webbing? What for?"

"Uh… Spider-Man, actually," mumbled Peter.

"Oh yes, I remember seeing videos of him! He is impressive and it is interesting that you create the webbing for him. I thought he produced it like an actual spider."

Peter shuddered at that thought. As long as she didn't ask all the questions Ned had asked when he found out, things should go smoothly.

"No, he – he uses these web shooters," explained Peter, picking one up and showing it to Shuri. "I'm trying to increase the tensile strength of the webbing, actually."

"Interesting," remarked Shuri. "I can most likely help with that if you'd let me."

Peter's eyes widened. She'd help him? She'd actually be with him for who knows how long? He wasn't about to pass on that opportunity! "Of course! I would love the help!" Just as he was about to put the web shooter down and begin working, he realized he forgot one important thing. "Oh, I'm Peter, by the way."

"Shuri," she replied with her own smile.

She eyed Peter for a moment before going back to the schematics and the chemical formulation of the webbing. She couldn't help but find Peter's awkwardness endearing especially considering he was acting that way without even seeming to know she was the Princess of Wakanda. She'd keep it that way for the moment, content on getting the teenager flustered just by being around him.

She had already found being at the compound amusing and this was just adding to the deal.

Meanwhile, T'Challa finally realized his sister had yet to come back from wherever she had wandered off to. "Stark?" began T'Challa, glancing around. "Where is my sister?"

"She headed to one of the labs, your Highness," replied Tony, swiping through a tablet. "Directed her to the second one from the left."

T'Challa grew confused at that. "And why that one in particular?"

"She'll have company as the grown ups talk."

"Stark, you've been on your tablet since she left. We haven't been talking."

"Oh, right."

Tony continued to swipe through his tablet, pulling up different versions of the Spider-Man suit. Whether or not his assumptions were correct, he still figured it would do Peter some good to have a more resistant suit as well as adding… _something_ to help with the healing time of his injuries. If Shuri benefitted from the improvements, that was a good bonus for Tony as well.

T'Challa just sighed, staring at Tony. "Fine, I will go find her."

"Nah, she's fine. Let her make a friend without her big brother butting in."

"A friend?" repeated T'Challa. "I thought you said Vision and Colonel Rhodes were not present at the moment."

Tony didn't react to that, knowing full well that the implication was that he had been alone in the Compound when the Wakandan party had arrived. Instead, he said, "Yes, well, my… intern arrived. She's with him at the moment."

T'Challa's eyes widened. Intern? He? His brotherly instincts kicked in at that point and he _really_ felt the need to make sure his sister was alright. Tony seemed to be one step ahead of him and swiped a few more times over his tablet and a hologram appeared near the King.

"See, she's fine. They're right where they're supposed to be," explained Tony without looking up from the tablet.

T'Challa wasn't sure what Tony meant by that but, upon studying the hologram - a video display of the lab Shuri and Peter were working in - and seeing that his sister was safe – and seeming to enjoy herself – he figured he'd avoid rushing into the lab to break the two teenagers up.

He would continue watching though, just in case.

* * *

Shuri and Peter had really hit it off that afternoon in the lab, specifically when they bonded over their love of classic Vines. The moment Peter softly and hesitantly said "okay" to a very advanced explanation Shuri had given, she had stopped and stared at him for a moment before replying with "display" pointing to the schematics hologram in the same tone. Peter's smile brightened immensely, continuing with "crochet" holding up the web substance.

That got Shuri to laugh and they high fived.

"Bombay?" was her response.

T'Challa, Tony, and Okoye could only watch in confusion as the two teenagers continued going back and forth, saying more and more random words that rhymed with "okay".

"Teenagers," sighed Tony with a shake of his head.

As evening rolled around, Tony and T'Challa entered the lab, catching the teenagers' attention.

"Brother," greeted Shuri, going in for their traditional handshake.

Peter put down the web formula, wiping his hand on his pants before extending it towards T'Challa. "Pleasure to meet you…" Peter's eyes widened when he took a good look at T'Challa and his mouth fell open. "Wait, you're _King_ T'Challa, from Wakanda!" gasped Peter.

"Yes, I am. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, …?" T'Challa waited for Peter to fill in the part with his name even though he already looked up the teenager's record in Tony's system.

"Peter, Peter Parker, your Highness, sir," stuttered Peter before another realization hit him and he whirled around to face Shuri. "Then – then you're the – the _Princess_ of Wakanda! I'm so sorry! I – I didn't know! I'm sorry if I –"

"Easy there!" laughed Shuri. "Don't start with all the titles! I'm just Shuri here."

Peter stammered but finally conceited to follow her wishes. "Of course, Shuri it is. Thanks."

He nearly tripped over his own feet when she smiled at him.

* * *

Peter came back the next day and the day after that and both him and Shuri spent most of their time in the lab, working on several improvements to the Spider-Man outfit. When they weren't in the lab, they were in the kitchen, having been dragged there by T'Challa or Okoye or even Pepper when she managed to pass by. Tony took no part in that seeing as he also needed to be dragged away from the lab, usually more forcefully than the teenagers.

In the kitchen, they had lunch as a group and the adults were usually on the butt end of other Vine related humour – Shuri had shared her masterful use of the "What are those?" with Peter and he wished he had been present to see it.

She showed him the video of T'Challa and his attack on the Black Panther suit instead and Peter needed to excuse himself from the room quickly, not wanting to laugh so much at the monarch sitting across the table from him.

Apart from the references the adults mostly didn't understand, they also listened to Peter gush over Shuri's knowledge of technology and the ideas she had come up with.

"Hey, Kid, am I going to be losing you to Wakanda soon?" wondered Tony with a smirk after Peter had talked for a good five minutes straight about Shuri – who was sitting right next to him.

Peter's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, his arms beginning to flail around as he quickly tried to smooth over the situation. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, Mr. Stark! Of course, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me! Thank you! Don't worry! I –"

Peter's flailing arm suddenly made contact with the back of his chair in a weird angle, hitting his funny bone dead on and he cried out in pain.

Shuri crying out nearly at the same time though not as loudly.

T'Challa, Okoye, and Pepper stared at the two teens, eyes wide as they both shook out their right arms, trying to rid themselves of the throbbing annoyance that comes from hitting your funny bone.

Tony, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair, proud that his intuitions were spot on. "This will be interesting," he said out loud, catching everyone's attention.

Peter was gripping his right elbow, staring at Tony in confusion. Until, of course, he glanced towards Shuri who also had her right elbow cradled against her.

"Oh…" Peter just stared at Shuri, going from her face to her elbow, to his and back. He… They… He couldn't even think straight at that point.

Shuri wasn't fairing any better. I guess she had been right about her soulmate being from the Outside but… what were the chances of coming across them only the second time out of Wakanda? And… she had to admit, she wasn't complaining on the result.

"Wait," cut in Pepper, "wait, are the two of them…?"

"It would seem so," replied Tony with a smirk. "The leg injury the other day was a good hint as well," he added and with a wink, said, "Ah, young love."

Both Shuri and Peter whirled towards Tony, eyes wide as they both tried to deny _anything_ to do with love and how they had just met, that it was possible it was a fluke as well. It just amused Tony even more as he watched the two of them attempt to explain… something. He wasn't actually paying attention at that point.

T'Challa had been quiet up until then but decided he needed answers. He had been waiting years for them and he was not about to wait any longer. "Peter, what do you to get hurt so frequently?"

Both teenagers stopped rambling at that question. Shuri glanced towards Peter, waiting for the answer because she was also curious. If he really was her soulmate, she needed to know what she was getting into!

What could a normal teenager possibly be doing?!

"Well…" Peter wasn't looking at anyone at this point, clearing his throat in attempt to buy himself some time. "You see… I…" He took a deep breath, glancing towards Shuri who continued to stare at Peter. "I'm sorry, Shuri. I – I've been trying to be more careful, I really have but… I can't exactly stop what I'm doing. Not when innocent people need my help."

Shuri was shocked. Innocent people? Peter was helping people? How? And what exactly consisted in the notion of helping innocent people? Why was he getting hurt?

"What do you do, Peter?" she wondered softly.

Peter sighed, staring at the table for a moment, his breathing deep as he debated revealing his secret to the Wakandans. However, he knew he owed it to his soulmate to explain why she felt the effects of his fights with the bad guys.

She needed to know why he couldn't stop what he was doing.

He glanced towards Shuri who waited patiently for an answer. He swallowed hard before nodding more to himself than anything. He pulled out a web shooter from his pocket and slipped it on.

"Peter, what –?"

Shuri's question was cut off as Peter shot the web towards the ceiling and pulled himself up, sticking to the ceiling and looking down at the rest of the people at the table.

"I can't stop because I'm Spider-Man," he explained before sliding down the web upside down before he was at the same level as Shuri. "I'm sorry again, Shuri. Hero's duty and all."

Shuri just stared at Peter until she pushed Peter, shaking her head in disbelief. She leaned back against her chair, a laugh escaping her lips. "Just my luck!" she chuckled. Her whole reaction confused Peter as he flipped back onto his seat. "Just my freaking luck!"

"I think I'm missing something," remarked Peter slowly.

Shuri motioned towards her brother who had remained quiet this entire time. Peter turned towards T'Challa, still not understanding.

"Well, I cannot condemn your behavior, Peter," began T'Challa with a sigh. "I just ask that you be more careful in the future."

"Of course, your Highness," replied Peter quickly. "There is no question in that! But… Well… I mean… Why…?"

T'Challa smirked as he pointed to the necklace he wore, the one Shuri had designed to fit the Black Panther suit inside. Peter studied it for a moment before he slowly put the pieces together.

"You – you… You're…?"

"Yes, my annoying brother is the Black Panther," finished Shuri, throwing her arms in the air. "So, of course, my soulmate needed to be a superhero as well. I will be surrounded…"

"But you're pretty much a superhero too!" remarked Peter which caused him to blush, not believing he actually said that out loud. Shuri gave him a confused look and he stuttered out an explanation. "You – you come up with amazing tech! From what I saw just the last couple of days is amazing, Shuri! You should be proud!"

She couldn't stop the blush that crept up and she looked away, trying to hide her smile. "Thanks," she muttered softly, glancing briefly back at Peter.

He smiled back at her shyly and she couldn't take how adorable he looked then. She couldn't understand how she actually met someone who perfected that puppy dog look.

She was in for an adventure, that was for sure.

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed it! :D_


End file.
